1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable telephone case of the type structured to hold and contain a portable telephone, such as a compact cellular telephone and achieve effective and convenient securement thereof to the person of a user, such as by being clipped to a belt, chain or other portion of the user's person. Moreover, the portable telephone case of the present invention is configured to provide for substantially rapid and convenient access to the display of the portable telephone without requiring removal of the portable telephone case from its secured position on the user. The user is thereby allowed to monitor incoming messages and telephone calls without the need to continuously remove and re-secure the portable telephone.
2. Description of the Related Art
Use of portable telephones and in particular cellular telephones is prevalent in all aspects of society and is a virtual necessity in almost all business and personal environments. The wide spread use of portable cellular telephones has served to increase technological advancements and capabilities thereof including, but not limited to, their compact size. Certainly, a primary reason for their compact nature is to facilitate their carriage and possession without significant inconvenience to the user. Users are thereby able to mount or position their portable telephones in a variety of different and comfortable locations as it suits their needs.
One primarily preferred means of holding a portable telephone is through the use of a clip or other type of securement mechanism that effectively secures the portable telephone to the person of the user, such as to their belt or other article of clothing. Accordingly, many portable telephones come with a pre-positioned belt clip type of structure on the rear of the telephone, thereby allowing the telephone to be effeectively secured by the user when not in use. As many models of cellular telephones do not necessarily include exteriorly mounted securement structures, and for various other reasons such as design, comfort and/or protection of the portable telephone, portable telephone cases have also become prevalent in the industry. These cases are structured to effectively and removably secure the portable telephone to the user.
Traditionally, portable telephone cases are generally small and compact and are configured to snugly and securely contain the portable telephone on an interior portion thereof, while permitting visibility and actuation of the appropriate display face of the cellular telephone. In particular, most portable telephones include a primary display face on which control or function buttons, such as the number dialing buttons, answer buttons, etc. are positioned. Typically, the display structure provides a visual indication of a variety of information, such as the time of day, caller I.D. information, text messages information, etc. for the user. In addition to the protective aspect of the portable telephone cases presently available, the need to provide a means of securement to the user have also been addressed. Essentially, however, existing portable telephone cases merely replicate the securement structures and configurations that are conventionally available by including a fastening element, such as the clip or other element on the rear of the case, leaving a front of the case open to expose the display and function buttons of the portable telephone.
One primary inconvenience associated with the presently available telephone cases and the clipping type structures relates to the inconveniences associated with the repeated use of the telephone during incoming and/or outgoing calls. For example, a common occurrence is for a user to receive a telephone call, and look at the display of the telephone so as to identify the caller and thereafter determine whether they will actually take the telephone call. In order to do this utilizing currently available structures, when the telephone call is received, a user must unclip the portable telephone case, properly orient the portable telephone and observe the display. If the caller does not wish to take the telephone call, the user must then re-secure the portable telephone and the case as desired. While this may be a seemingly simple task, having to perform it on repeated occasions can certainly become an inconvenience especially if the user is in a seated location which can make it difficult to remove and/or re-secure the portable telephone.
As a result, it would be highly beneficial to provide a portable telephone case which not only provides a protective covering and an effective means of securing the portable telephone to the user, but which does so in a manner which effectively allows the user to quickly and conveniently monitor the display of the portable telephone without requiring removal of the portable telephone from its secured location. Moreover, such a portable telephone case should provide convenient and easily visible access to the display of the portable telephone in an orientation of the telephone and/or casing which is easily obtainable.